Need help sizing a winch

I have a rubber tracked crawler dumper that has a flatbed and some specialty equipment mounted on the bed. It weighs 20k. I run it in all types of terrain.

Over the past five years I have got it stuck four times. One time it fell in what was almost like quicksand and sunk to the top of the tracks. The surface was bone dry and dusty. It took a D6 with a big winch and it was dragging the dozer towards me and the winch was smoking by the time I got out. This was a very rare event and I am not trying to prepare for it. The other three times it got stuck was in creek crossings. It didn’t really sink at all and could move back and forth but couldn’t climb up the steep slippery banks to get out. One time I actually pulled it up with a dually pickup, once with 100HP tracked skid steer, and the other time a D4.

I want to mount one maybe two winches on it to help me out of these situations. We work in very remote locations and this is the only type of machinery on the job site. Every time we have stuck it with the exception of pulling out with the pickup we had to call for help and sometimes have to wait until the next day for them to come. This machine is vital to our operation and when it gets stuck five guys are sitting around on their thumbs until we get it out.

So my question is what size winch to buy. Obviously bigger is better but it seems once you get past 20k rated the prices start jumping fast. I am the only one that operates this machine and I am as cautious as can be. Will a 20k winch be adequate for most situations if I use it at the first sign of trouble before the machine gets buried? It seems I can buy two 20k units for what one 30k would cost. I plan on mounting one on the front and one on the rear.

A 20 should be fine for most situations, and a snatch block is a cheap way to double it. I have a GMC 7500 with a hydraulic Bloom winch on it which I think is a 10 or 12k. That with a snatch block will usually recover my 35k spreader truck.

There's a video on youtube (or was) of a rescue of an excavator sunk in a bog, recovered with a smaller excavator to dig it out, build a ramp, move logs etc. and a winch on a four wheeler with multiple snatch blocks on multiple trees, long cable. Two advantages to that system, all the points get equal pull, and there is no one, or even four trees big enough to take the load.

Over rate the winch because it's the drum size that really maters for cable diameter and you need to keep at least six turns on the drum on the first wrap. Your power is in the
first two wraps.

Are you looking at hydraulic to run off the machines hydraulics or electric? Be sure you have free spool out or at least high speed reverse if its hydraulic.A wide drum is good too. As said above go bigger,have a snatch block or 2 and some straps or good chains for tailholds with the snatch blocks. Try and find good quality snatch blocks with adequate load rating ,watch those cheap stamped tin blocks .

I am looking at hydraulic for the rear using the circuit that used to operate the dump bed which is 10 GPM and 3000 psi. For the front I am looking at electric. Sherpa makes a reasonably priced 25k electric winch. On the hydraulic side it seems 20k winches can be found for 2k but to go about that in rating I haven’t seen much available under 5k. If I used it a lot I wouldn’t mind ponying you for a big one but based on past history it might get used once a year.

You might end up using it more than you think. Most of the 20,000 winches are not much good
under hard prolonged pull. With a winch you get what you pay for.

Under different circumstances I would agree totally like if it was on a dozer or we were doing different type of work. However it’s sole purpose would be getting this machine unstuck and it has only been stuck four times in five years. We have nothing else equipment wise on the job sites other that ATVs and a couple pickups to get back and forth

I agree to an extent. Getting yourself out of a slick spot, and recovering somebody who kept digging are two different things.

Reminds me of Scrub's story of pulling out a stuck D9 with a block and tackle, if you know when to stop and hook up the winch, it shouldn't take that much to get out of most places you thought you should be able to make it through in the first place.

On the other hand, there's a lot of logging done with winches where the winch is working as much as the transmission is.

You know, I opened HEF and saw this thread. Was sure hoping this was going someplace else...... Oh well.

I always sized mine up by looks first, then personality. Then I had to see if they could cook and clean how I wan..........oh wait, you said WINCH.

We had 12000 pound hydraulic winches on the medium duty tow truck recovering a machine like yours would have been childs play like others said snatch blocks are huge and just using your head I've recoved an untold amount of tractors, dozers, graders,pettibones, backhoes, lumber trucks, semis, ect ect with those winches and you know know one calls a wrecker until its realllly stuck pulling out before it quits moving goes a long ways I sure wouldnt want to carry the extra weight of 2 30000 winches all day

I am going to put a winch on my truck before long and i cant make up my mind but i already have some winches. From what i have done i would go big as i could. My first winch was a 30.000 it was on a 3/4 ton chevy i thought it would pull it in to easy but i had the front end tie to several trees over the years and it never hurt it.I didnt have any snatch blocks back then.

If you size your winch about 2/3 of your max loaded GVW, you should be in good shape. In most cases, if you stop wiggling when the machine loses forward momentum, it does not take much more than 10%-20% of the machines weight in pull to get back under way. My 28k lb machine has a 18k lb winch and my 40k lb machine has a 30k lb winch. I rarely need a snatch block to get me out because I stop once I can't move. I've grown weary of broken cables. It's much easier to pull out a machine still on top of the ground than one buried to its belly. When they do get deep, be sure to use a snatch block or 3 to limit the stress on the cables. I find angled pulls are the hardest thing on the winch cables and limit your pulling power. The more educated you are in pulling points and methods of rigging, the safer and easier your life will become.

If weight is an issue, the newer Dyneema ropes are lightweight and incredibly strong but they must stay fairly clean and away from high heat sources in order to stay healthy. They are super easy to splice and make adjustable loop lengths with. See some of the hammock forums for info on the splicing and knots of these ropes. Be sure to use covers and shackles at the loop ends to ensure longevity with the rope.

I recently purchase some 1/2" Blue Am-Steel rope that is rated for over 30k lbs but weighs less than 6 lb per 100 ft. It stores easier and weighs a lot less than cables or chains. When I'm a long distance from anchor points, that lightweight rope is easy to handle and outperforms 1/2" cable on the winch. Just be sure to use large diameter snatch blocks and protect the end loops when in use.

I think Dyneema is only rated for 6 months exposure to sunlight.